Proper lighting has the power to liven up your home, and your spirits. Learn which lighting option works best in which rooms.

Light Style

Good lighting adds warmth, color, and personality to your living space. And, compared with many home improvements, lighting is a bargain. But whether you spend a lot or a little, knowing how to light your home is as important as what you buy.

Use lighting in layers, says Joe Rey-Barreau, an architect and professor of lighting design at the University of Kentucky in Lexington. That is, provide rooms with a mix of ambient, task, and accent light at a variety of levels instead of having one large glaring light in the middle of the ceiling. He likes to use table lamps of different sizes on shelves, mantels, and other spots. “Variety is what I don’t see enough of,” he says.